Mrs Taylor's Matchmaking
by E. Limberg
Summary: Mrs. Taylor suprises Mac with a visit to New York. She is able to see what Mac and Stella are not able to and decides to take action so that the two detectives find happiness. Mac and Stella. Minor spoilers.
1. The Surprise Visitor

**Mrs. Taylor's Matchmaking**

**Chapter 1: The Surprise Visitor**

"The trace you found on the vic's clothes was a combination of chemicals used in cleaning products," Hawkes hands her the printout.

"Makes sense: he was found in a bathroom, one that had to have been cleaned recently. During the struggle, he probably rubbed against something and transferred it to his clothing. What about the blood you found on the mirror?" Stella asks.

"No match in CODIS. I was going to run it through the other databases to see if I could get a hit. Has Sid called about the autopsy yet?"

"No, he said he'd finish it before… he went to…" she trails off.

Sheldon follows her gaze through the glass wall to an older woman stepping off the elevator. The woman was rolling a large suitcase behind her, and although he was sure he'd never seen her before, she looked oddly familiar to him.

She continues to stare for a moment longer before turning her attention back to him briefly, "I've got to do something, Hawkes. Keep me posted." On her way out the door, she pats his shoulder, her gaze again fixed on the woman who had just arrived at the lab.

For a moment, Hawkes watches her, wondering how she knew this woman. He soon returns to his work, though, deciding it best not to let his boss find him wasting time.

"Mrs. Taylor," Stella says as the approaches the woman, who is obviously overwhelmed with the busy crime lab.

"Stella," the woman smiles upon seeing the curly-haired detective. "Please, call me Millie. If I were Mac, I would have made you Mrs. Taylor long ago."

The detective smiles politely at the woman's comment but dismisses it, knowing that Mac did not have those sorts of feelings for her. "Mac didn't mention that you were coming to visit."

"Oh, I didn't tell him. He would have just tried to talk me out of it, which he has done every time I have suggested coming to visit for the past five years; he always says he's much too busy with work. Well, I'm here now, and he can't do anything about it," Millie Taylor says, still looking around the busy lab.

His mother is every bit as stubborn, if not more, as Stella remembers her to be from her visit five years ago. "I'm sure Mac didn't talk you out of it every time; he wouldn't do that to his mother."

"But he did. And speaking of Mac, do you know where he is? This place is much too confusing for me."

"I'm afraid Mac's not here at the moment; he went out to follow a lead."

"Are you're not with him? He's going to get killed."

"Mrs. Taylor, another detective is with him. I would not let Mac go out alone on a case. Now, how about we go wait in my office for Mac to return?" she escorts the elder woman to her office. "Can I get you something to drink after your long flight?"

"Some water would be nice."

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute," Stella leaves, heading to the break room for a bottle of water.

Sheldon is in the room, eating his lunch. "Hey, Stella. Who's that woman you were with?"

"Mac's mother. She came for a surprise visit. Weren't you going to run DNA samples?"

"Thought I'd grab lunch while they're running."

She grabs a water from the fridge and heads toward the door. A thought, however, strikes her, and she pauses. "Sheldon, it's probably best if Mac's mother doesn't find out that you're… rooming with him," she pulls her keys out of her pocket and takes one off the key ring, sliding it across the table to him. "She's… very old fashioned."

"Wait, what about your rule?" he asks as she opens the door.

"You're a friend, Sheldon; you're not going to do anything. Besides, Mac has already broken that rule," she smiles, leaving him to wonder just how close his bosses were.

"How is Chicago?" the detective asks, handing the visitor the bottle of water.

"No different from the last time I saw you. You and Mac really should come visit me some time."

"Did Mac stop in when he was out there a couple years ago?"

"He came to Chicago?"

"Yeah… he, uh, had a lead on a case that took him out there."

"Hm," she frowns, "he never mentioned that to me."

"Oh…" Stella looks away, hoping she hadn't gotten her partner in too much trouble. "Well, we both can't leave the lab. Someone has to hold down the fort here."

"Really? I thought Mac said something a few months ago about the two of you going to Greece for a case."

"That was… special circumstances. It was… for the job, not a vacation," she leaves out the part about Mac following her. "How about I give you a tour of the lab while we're waiting? It's changed since the last time you were here."

The next fifteen minutes are spent with Stella leading Mac's mother around the lab, showing her all the new gadgets that they had and introducing her to their coworkers. They round the corner, ending up in front of Mac's office. "This is Mac's office. Why don't you look around a little while I call him? He should have been back by now," the detective pulls out her cell phone.

"Call who?"

Both women turn around, finding Mac to be standing in the doorway.

"Mac," Mrs. Taylor approaches her son. After a moment, she smiles and hugs him. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Mother. But… you never mentioned that you were coming."

"Consider it your Christmas present."

"What a nice a surprise," he hugs his mom, looking at Stella over her shoulder. "Can I talk to Stella for a moment? I should update her about our case."

"Sure," his mom lets him go.

The detectives head out to the hallway. "Thanks for taking care of her," Mac begins. "I honestly had no clue she would make such a rash choice to come out here."

"It's okay. I gave Sheldon my key and told him to get his stuff out of your place. I'd give him a few more hours before you take her there."

"Thanks," he smiles. "Stella, what am I going to do with her?"

"Take my day off tomorrow and spend it with her. She misses you, Mac. And I think she's anxious for grandchildren."

"What…? She didn't really tell you that, did she?"

"Not in those words…"

"I'll talk to her."

"It's okay. Now, why don't you take her out for lunch?"

**A/N: I don't really know how I came up with this story... Hopefully you'll find it interesting. I wrote it over Chirstmas break and finally decided to post it. So... there are four more chapters. Oh, Millie is what said Mac's mother's name was, but I don't believe they said what it was during that one episode she was on in the flashbacks. And she probably won't do what I had her do in later chapters, but I thought it would make a funny and interesting story. Please review... and I'll update by Wednesday. Thanks.**


	2. Dinner

**Chapter 2: Dinner**

"Bonasera," Stella answers her cell phone.

"Hey, Stel," Mac says. "My mother wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight."

"Oh, that's nice of her, but I don't want to intrude on your time."

"She's been here a day, and I'm already counting the days until she leaves. Please come; it'll give her something to talk about other than my lack of visiting her."

"Okay, what time do you want me to meet you?"

"Seven o'clock at my place. She refuses to tell me what she is cooking but claims that it was one of my favorites."

"I'll see you later," she hangs up as she walks by Hawkes, who is waving her inside of the trace lab. "What are you so desperate to show me?"

"I found a match to the fingerprint you lifted from the victim's wallet."

She looks at the screen, "Call Flack and have him bring the guy in. In the meantime, we'll look for a motive." The detective pulls on her lab coat, joining the former ME in looking over the victim's clothing.

"So… I didn't bother you last night, did I?" Sheldon asks timidly.

"No, I kind of forgot you were there until I saw you on the couch this morning."

"I have a few appointments to look at apartments this evening so I'll be back a little later tonight; sorry in advance if I bother you."

"It's fine, Sheldon. You might be home before I am; Mac invited me to dine with him and his mother."

"I take it you've met his mother before this."

"Yeah… at Claire's funeral. And then she came back five years ago to visit. And after meeting her, I realized where Mac gets his stubbornness from."

Hawkes smiles, "I… didn't realize that Mac still had family alive. Other than you."

"Mac and I aren't family."

"Might as well be."

"You and Mrs. Taylor would get along then. Mac told me after she left five years ago that she told him that he should ask me to marry him. And apparently she hasn't forgotten that idea of hers."

"Maybe you should… You two know each other better than any married couple I know."

"It won't happen. He doesn't have those kinds of feelings for me. To be completely honest, I'm not even sure that he's over Claire, and it's been eight years."

"Stella… you said something yesterday… about Mac breaking your rule… Have you two…?"

"God, no. He's just been in my apartment a lot. To talk and have dinner and other… things friends do. Why am I having this conversation with you?" she looks up from her work to ask him.

"Because I'm easy to talk to," the doctor smiles.

"Well, you are right about that."

**MSMSMSMSMS**

Promptly at seven o'clock Stella knocks on Mac's door. He answers it within seconds, a look of relief on his face, "Hi."

"Hi," she smiles, glad to see him stressed about something other than work. "Dinner smells good."

"She made chicken and noodles. Here, I'll take your coat, and you can go into the kitchen." Mac helps her remove her coat before hanging it up.

"Sheldon broke our case open this morning, and we made an arrest later in the day. Danny and Lindsay took the only other case we had. So… I spent much of the day doing your paperwork for you. Most of it just needs your signature."

"Oh… you really didn't have to do that, Stella," he says, glancing at his mother.

"See, Mac? You can go in to work tomorrow morning for half the day to finish paperwork and spend the rest of it with me. I've always wanted to go see the Statue of Liberty," she hints.

"It's too cold to go over there. We'll both freeze to death."

"Oh… then what's on Broadway? Maybe we could go to a show tomorrow."

Mac looks at Stella for some sort of excuse so he'd have to stay at work all day. "That sounds like a wonderful idea; I heard that the new musical that just came out was spectacular," Stella smiles. He gives her a death glare but she doesn't notice. "Can I help you with anything?"

"No, I just have to serve dinner, and then we can eat. Mac, bring me the plates," she tells him.

He pulls a chair out for Stella, the one in the middle of the three place settings, perhaps hoping to get the attention off of him. "You're going to pay for that," he whispers as he reaches over to get the plates from the table.

Mac sits to her left, Mrs. Taylor on her right. "So, Stella, Mac tells me that he is not seeing anyone. Can you confirm this?"

She glances at Mac, wondering about his mother's upfront questioning, "I don't think he has, but I really don't… study your son's love life. We don't really… discuss that much."

"Oh. Well, what about you?"

The conversation continues with somewhat private questions despite the two detectives' attempts to switch topics. Mrs. Taylor excuses herself in order to do the dishes, refusing to allow Stella to help her. "Don't you have a dishwasher, Mac?" Stella asks once his mother is busy.

"Don't tell her that," he whispers back.

"So what are you plans for tomorrow?"

"Well, I'll definitely be at work in the morning. I guess it depends on how busy we are."

They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while Mrs. Taylor finishes up. "I made apple pie for dessert," she announces, pulling out some plates for them.

"I don't think I can eat another bite, Mrs. Taylor; dinner filled me up," Stella says, turning around to face her.

"Oh, don't worry. One night of good, homemade food isn't going to kill you," his mother says, slicing the pie. "Mac has told me about your eating habits. I can't believe you two stay in shape with all that eating out you do."

"Thank you," Stella says as a plate is set in front of her. "It looks delicious, but I really didn't need such a big piece."

"Oh, let me get you two some forks," she turns around, opening a few drawers until she finds the silverware. "Well, I'm going to go to bed; it's getting kind of late for me. So… I'll leave you two alone to talk or whatever you want to do. Good night." As she finishes speaking, she place a hand on each their wrists, Mac's right and Stella's left, to disguise her actions. When she turns to leave, the two are handcuffed together.

**A/N: First, thanks for the many reviews you guys sent. Please keep sending them; I will try to start replying to them. Second, I meant to update yesterday but it kind of slipped my mind. So I will try to update again Friday, and hopefully I don't forget this time. I don't think I have much else to say... hope you liked this chapter too and that you don't think Mac's mother is too out of character even though we don't really know her.**


	3. You Can't Deny It

**Chapter 3: You Can't Deny It**

Mac stares at their hands for a moment, shocked that his mother would do something like this in her matchmaking. "Stella, I…"

"It's okay, Mac."

"I'll go find a key," he says, standing. She, too, stands, and it takes him a moment to realize that if he was going somewhere, she had to come too.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she'd actually do something in order to… pair us up; I thought it was just talk. And I even explained to her that you don't feel that way about me, but she refused to listen," he talks as he searches for the keys, his eyes looking anywhere but hers. "I guess she took the keys. I'll talk to her."

Stella follows him, "Are all mothers supposed to act this way, or is you mother just…?"

"Crazy? Annoying? Trying to ruin our friendship? I'd vote for all of the above in favor of the second part."

"Don't be too harsh on her, Mac. She's just trying to help you; she doesn't want you to be alone."

"Mother," Mac pounds on the guest room door. "Give me the key. Now."

"I can't do that, Mac. Not until I know that it has worked."

"This isn't funny. Stella needs to go home and get some rest. And I need some sleep too. We have work in the morning."

"Then you'll have to go to work together."

"Mother, give me the key, or I'll kick the door down."

"No."

"You've got until three to give me that key. One… Two…"

Stella pushes him away from the door so that he can't kick it in, "Don't, Mac. It's not worth it."

"Not worth it? Stella, we need that key. Or else we're going to be walking into work like this. The guys will get a kick out of that."

"Fighting won't do you any good," Mrs. Taylor says through the door.

She places a hand on his chest to calm him, whispering, "Let's talk through this for a moment, okay?"

Slowly he nods, leading her into his living room so that they can talk in private. "So… I guess this is her crazy way of trying to get us together."

"Which means she's probably not going to willingly give us the key until she thinks we are together."

"That leaves us two options: breaking into her room or faking that we're together."

Stella thinks for a minute, "Is there another key at the lab or the precinct?"

He shakes his head, "I lost the second key a while back in pursuit of a suspect."

"Do you know any lock pickers? Or any lock picking skills?"

"No."

"Mac, maybe I need to talk to her. I mean… you've probably told her a million times that we don't love in each other in that way. Maybe she needs to hear it from me too."

"It's worth a try," he helps her up from the couch, and they walk down the hall to the guest room.

"Mrs. Taylor," Stella knocks on the door quietly. "I think the two of us need to have a talk."

"I'm listening," his mother answers, refusing to open her door.

"I think face-to-face would be a little better. Mac can stay out in the hallway so he's… a good boy and doesn't try to steal the key."

"Okay," Millie opens the door cautiously.

"Don't do anything stupid, Mac," the detective warns her partner before stepping inside, closing the door as much as possible with the handcuff chain in it and standing in front of it so that he can't enter. "I know you think that Mac and I would be… a perfect match. And we are, as friends. But… we aren't anything more than close friends, and we never will be."

"You could be."

"No, we can't. The lab forbids marriage between subordinates and bosses, such as Mac and me. And being in a relationship would put a big strain on our friendship, a friendship that neither of us could live without. Besides, Mac doesn't feel that way about me," Stella tries to explain.

"That's kind of funny… You both said that the other doesn't have feelings for you, instead of denying that you have feelings for the other. You can deny it all you want. But it's there," Mrs. Taylor smiles.

Mac gently pushes the door open, Stella stepping out of his way. "Mother, this is completely uncalled for. You have no right to do this to us. Stella is my partner and my friend; she's not going to be Claire. I'm not going to be able to replace her; she's gone, and there's nothing either of us can do about it."

"I know she's not Claire, but she's just as good as Claire was. Don't wait until it's too late, Mac."

Furious, he steps out of the room, dragging Stella with him and completely forgetting the key, which is laying on the dresser. He sits down on his bed, trying to control his anger so that he doesn't snap at Stella; she hadn't done anything wrong after all. She waits patiently, sitting beside him, but not too close. "I'm sorry, Stel," he whispers. "I'm sure this isn't how you wanted to spend your evening."

"Hey, this isn't your fault," she reminds him, resting a hand on his cheek.

"What are we going to do?" he asks, not meeting her eyes.

"I guess we'll go in to work this way… unless she gives us the key first. Or we both call in sick."

"Do you… want me to take you home? I guess I'd kind of have to stay there but… if you're more comfortable there…"

"No, I'm okay here. Plus, we can't get the key back at my place… And Hawkes is there."

"So… what do we do now?"

"Wait."

"Besides that. Because you're going to get bored within minutes if we just sit here waiting," he teases.

"Well… we could play a game… or watch TV… or plan what we're going to tell everyone tomorrow when we go to work. They're not going to believe the truth."

"We could say that we wanted to know what the criminals felt like," he suggests.

"No, we wouldn't be handcuffed together if we were doing that."

Mac thinks for a while. "Stella, what if Sinclair comes to the lab tomorrow and we're stuck together?"

"I don't know, Mac. He'd probably fire us."

"We could say that Danny did it… that's believable."

"Yes, it is… but he'd probably fire Danny then."

Stella hesitates a moment before speaking again, "I always thought your mother was… old fashioned when it came to love, kind of like… you. But this is definitely not how people got together back then."

**A/N: Sorry for not updating yesterday. I kind of forgot again. And my computer kept dying. I will try to remember to update Monday. Please keep reviewing.**


	4. Preparing for Bed

**Chapter 4: Preparing for Bed**

"Mac," Stella pokes him in the side, "you don't really think she's going to keep us locked together like this until we are together, do you?"

He shrugs, "Who knows what she's up to."

"Well, if she's just waiting for us to say we'll start dating, we could go and tell her that we are. She could stay until we actually do, but we go out to dinner all the time so that's not really such a big deal."

"She could be waiting until we kiss," he quietly replies.

"She could…"

"But we have already kissed. Granted it was just under the mistletoe that Danny and Lindsay somehow tricked us into going under, but… it was a kiss. We could manage that again… I suppose, if that's what'll get us out of the handcuffs."

She nods in agreement. "Or she could wait until you propose, which would never happen because we can't… get married or anything. So we'll still be stuck together when she's dead."

"I think we'd find someone to pick the lock by then."

A though suddenly strikes her, "She could be waiting until we… you know, sleep together."

"Which will never happen," he quickly says.

"Do you think that she'd think we'd actually do that…" she looks back at the bed, "with her here? That's a little awkward; I mean, I wouldn't even do that if we were married, and she was here."

"Don't worry about it," he links their already connected hands. "We definitely aren't going to do that."

She tries to hide her disappointment as she checks the clock on his nightstand, "It's almost eleven."

"Are you tired?"

"Kind of… but I don't know if I can fall asleep."

"Stel, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to do anything while you're asleep. If there were any other way, I wouldn't do this."

"I'm not worried about you, Mac. It's just… a lot to think about."

"Hey, this is my mom's fault; I'm not going to let them fire you or anything because of her actions," he assures her. "Let me find you a t-shirt or something so you're more comfortable tonight."

"Uh…" she looks down at their hands, "I don't think that's going to be possible unless we're going to use scissors."

"Hm… I guess you're right. Besides, we can't dress again while we're stuck together."

"So we're going to work in the same clothes we wore today. Well, I am. They don't know what you wore today. And showers are out of the question."

"I think I'm, um, going to change into sweat pants. I can get you a pair if you'd like. They'll be a little big on you but…"

"No, I'm okay."

"Sure? I promise I won't look if you change," he teases.

A small smile spreads over her face for a few seconds before disappearing. "No, I'll be fine. You go ahead. I won't look," she turns around.

He hesitates before deciding not to change, not wanting her to be uncomfortable with how close her hand would be to him since he needed both hands to unfasten his pants. "No, I'll be okay," he turns to face her, setting the sweatpants on his dresser.

"Would you like to brush your teeth then?"

He nods, "I have an extra toothbrush if you'd like…"

"Okay. Although I doubt having good breath is going to help when we go into work tomorrow morning."

They go into the bathroom, and he digs an unopened toothbrush out from the drawer, opening it for her. He then opens the toothpaste, putting some on each brush. "Here you go," he hands her the new one, bringing his up to his mouth with his left hand.

"You're going to try to brush your teeth left handed instead of dragging my hand up to you mouth?"

He nods, "I thought it might look a little awkward with your hand just hanging there."

After brushing their teeth, they go back into the bedroom. "Which side do you normally sleep on?" she asks.

Instead of answering, he asks a question, "How do you normally sleep? On your back or your side or…?

"On my back most of the time," she says.

"Okay," he crawls over onto the opposite of the bed, her following him under the covers. They pause, still sitting up in the bed.

"Is this alright?" she asks.

"Yeah, it's fine. It's just… nobody has slept on that side since Claire…"

"Oh… Would it make you feel better if you slept on this side?"

"No, it's fine," he turns the light on the nightstand off before laying down.

She too lies down, feeling a little awkward in his bed. "Good night, Mac," she says quietly.

"Stella, if you're uncomfortable, I'll go demand that she gives us the key," he offers.

"No, just… stay here. Let's let it go until morning."

"Okay. Good night, Stel."

They silently lay in the bed, both staring up into the darkness, too uncomfortable for sleep. After ten minutes, Stella sits up, "I can't do this anymore, Mac."

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter's a little shorter than the rest. I had some problems copying and pasting in when I wrote it so it was longer until I edited it and realized that half the chapter was repeated. But the next and final chapter should make up for it. Please keep reviewing. I'll try to update Wednesday or Thursday.**


	5. Freedom

**Chapter 5: Freedom**

"Do what?" Mac asks, confused.

"This, Mac. Why are we faking this just because your mom is here?"

"Faking what?"

"This shouldn't be so awkward, Mac. We've slept in the same bed before. We've best friends, and being close has never bothered us. So why is it now?"

"I don't know, Stella. Maybe because we weren't stuck together then."

"Mac, why did you tell your mom that I didn't love you, not you don't love me?"

"Stel, just forget about what my mom said. I'll take a few days off and move her into a nursing home; maybe that'll help with her sudden insanity."

"She's not insane, Mac. She's just seeing what we're too blind to see. Or what we don't want to."

"You can't really believe her crazy idea."

"Maybe I do."

"How can you, Stella?"

She pauses, sinking back into the pillows. "Because I love you, Mac," she whispers.

He takes in a deep breath and releases it. "Why?"

"Because you're the only person I trust with all of my heart and you're the only one that I don't have to keep my guard up around and we understand each other and… I don't know, Mac. I just do…"

Mac remains silent.

"You don't have anything to say to me? Anything at all?" she asks, her voice pleading.

"No."

"If we weren't stuck together, I'd be out of here right now."

"Stel…"

"No, Mac. Don't. I don't want to hear it. I know you feel the same way. Or you wouldn't have said the exact same thing to your mom that I did. You have to feel the same way, Mac… You followed me to Greece… So don't try to deny it. Just keep your mouth shut until you get enough courage to tell me how you really feel," she wipes at the tears that are falling from her eyes.

"I do love you, Stella. But you know as well as I do that we _can't_ be together," he tries to say as calmly as he can.

"So we're going to ignore the confessions we just made in order to make Sinclair happy?"

"We don't have a choice. If we did, I would have told you how I felt when I realized it myself."

"And when do we ever do what Sinclair tells us to?"

"Now. Or else we're both out of a job. He just barely let Danny and Lindsay get married, Stel; he's not going to let us do so too."

"No one has to know that we're together."

Mac scoots closer to her, putting a hand on her cheek, "Stel, do you really think that nobody would notice?"

"Well, maybe the guys would… but Sinclair wouldn't unless he starts hanging around the lab all the time. And I'm sure the guys wouldn't tell him what we're up to if they find out."

"What happens when one of us gets hurt on the job?"

"Mac, don't even go there. I don't want to think of you… like that."

"Sinclair's going to notice that something has changed if that happens."

"Maybe not. We're close friends…"

"Then what happens when we want to get married?"

She hesitates, "We don't have to get married, Mac. I don't need a fancy ceremony and a ring and all that to know that you love me and won't do anything to hurt me."

"And neither do I… But maybe other men need to know that you're taken so they don't try anything."

"Well, I can't wear a ring, Mac. That'll give us away."

"Then I'll have to think of something… and soon. I mean, if you want to… date despite the fact that we could lose everything."

"Not everything… I'd still have you."

"Be serious for a moment, Stella," Mac brushes a strand of curls out of her face so his eyes can meet hers. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes."

"Not only can't we get married, but we can't have kids if we do this, Stella."

"And?" she prompts.

"You don't want kids?"

"Only with you. And if this is the only way we can be together, then I'm fine with no kids. I mean… if you are?"

He thinks for a moment, "Well, I did want kids. But unless something changes or we figure something out… I guess I can live without them."

"If you want kids so badly, then you better figure something out quickly, Mac. I'm going to be forty in a few years…"

"Maybe not having kids is for the better. We're both so busy with work that we wouldn't really have time to care for them."

"Danny and Lindsay have managed pretty well."

"You're sure you're willing to give that up?"

"Yes, if that means I have you."

"So… should we go get the key then?"

She shakes her head, "I think we can manage through the night. You know, I would have handcuffed us together earlier if I would have known that this would be the outcome."

He laughs, putting his arms around her. "How about we have dinner next Friday?"

"For our first date? Will your mother be gone?"

"Why?" he smirks.

"So we can be alone."

"Sheldon will be back over here if she's gone."

"He could stay at my place until he finds himself a place of his own. Or we could go to my place if he comes back here, which he will probably do since he seemed a little uncomfortable because of my rule."

"I kind of forgot about that rule… We better come back here."

"Mac, you've been to my place a million times. I trust you. And I want you there."

He tightens his hold on her, "You're sure?"

"Yes, now stop asking me that. And… you're kind of hurting my arm."

"Sorry," he immediately lets her go.

"You didn't have to completely let go," she intertwines the fingers of their hands that are stuck together before climbing over him.

"Stel, what are you doing?" Mac asks, a little worried.

"Relax," she kisses his cheek as she settles, curled up on his side, their conjoined hands resting on his chest with her head on his shoulder. "Now isn't this more comfortable?"

"Yes."

**MSMSMSMSMS**

"Hey, sleepyhead," Mac whispers as she opens her eyes.

"What time is it?" she mumbles.

"Six."

She frowns, "I guess we have to go wake your mother up and beg for the key then."

"No need for that," he holds the key up for her to see.

"How did you get it?"

"It was laying on the pillow when I woke up. I think she felt bad and snuck in during the night to give it back."

"Huh… Would you like to do the honors, then, so we can bathe and get to work?"

"Perhaps you would since your right hand is free? It might take me a while since I'm not left handed."

Stella takes the key from him, quickly removing the handcuff from her own wrist. She flashes him a mischievous smile before snapping it closed around what was his free wrist. "There."

"Stella," he warns, trying to snatch the key from her hand. "Let me go."

"I don't think so, Taylor. You see… I'm not sure that I can wait until next Friday. Perhaps a little sooner would work for you?"

"Perhaps… tonight would work for you?" Mac offers, trying to distract her so that he can grab the key.

"Yes, that would be great. Pick me up at seven?"

"Sure."

"And perhaps you could get a hotel room for us since it seems that we both have roommates at the moment?"

"I think I can arrange that."

"You're sure?" she smirks.

"Absolutely. Now give me the key."

"Not until you promise to be a good boy and take your mother wherever she wants to go today. I do believe that you owe her…"

"I promise," he says. "The key?"

"What about it?" she leans closer to him, their lips only millimeters apart.

"I'd like you to give it to me," he whispers.

"I'd like you to give me something first," she whispers in return, putting her hands on his shoulders.

He leans up to kiss her but lets her have control. When they pull away, he asks again, "The key?"

Stella presses the key into the palm of his hand before smiling and standing up, "See you later."

"Stel?"

She turns back in the bedroom doorway, "Yeah?"

"Do you want me to bring these later?" he holds up the handcuffs, which are now free from his wrists.

The smile returns to her face, "If you want."

**A/N: Something's wrong with the format so hopefully this looks okay. If not, I'll probably take it down and try again. Sorry for not updating sooner. I had lots of reading for English and studying for quizzes to do and kind of forgot. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I'm not sure when my next story will be up because it's not written yet.**


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